tim-E robotic iPhone alarm clock may make you want to get up

Kickstarter always seems to have some interesting project underway that I want to own. The latest project to surface is yet another device that I would like to have in my house called the tim-E, and it is designed to work with your iPhone. The device is a robot alarm clock and bedside companion that uses your iPhone or the iPod Touch for its head and face.

The people behind the project say that you can build your own customized wake-up routine using any combination of several different items while your device charges. You can be woke up using a standard alarm including soft, loud, or progressive chimes. You can also be woke into a song from your device.

If normal alarms aren't your deal, you can also wake to the days weather report or traffic alerts. The alarm can also wake you using voice reminders to remind you do specific things during the day. You can also program the alarm to offer a brainteaser before it will turn off to ensure that you're actually awake. One of the brainteasers has the user trying to touch a fly buzzing across the screen on tim-E's face.

If you poke the robot and not the fly, he will say things like "Swat the fly, not the eye, sleepyhead!" The traffic reports come in the form of phrases from the robot with things like, "Give yourself some extra time today, because the 405 is jammed!" The robot will also give you perky little phrases the weather forecasts such as "75 and sunny today! Forget work, let's hit the beach!"

I think that's much better than just having a buzzer that goes off and having to read the forecast on the screen of your iPhone. It also makes this device particularly well-suited to younger children who have a difficult time getting up and may not be the best readers. Rather than using the blue robot face, you can also use pictures of friends and family as the robot's face. The project is seeking $150,000 and has 28 days to go. So far, it has raised a little under $3200 and the pledge of $60 or more will get you your own tim-E.